RJ Hamster
SI:AM | Trae Young Kicks Off NBA Trade Season
  Dan Gartland Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I feel obligated to call your attention to Hall of Famer Gary Payton’s Hello Kitty outfitthat he wore to the Bucks-Warriors game. In today’s SI: AM:🔁 Trae Young on the move🏈 How Indiana became a football school🥜 The history of the Peanut Punch  Jordan Godfree/Imagn ImagesNot exactly a blockbusterFive years ago, a midseason Trae Young trade would have rocked the NBA. When it happened last night, it barely made a ripple. The Hawks are sending Young to the Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, according to multiple reports. A breakup between Atlanta and the four-time All-Star seemed likely after the two sides failed to come to terms on a contract extension this summer, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that the Hawks and Young’s representatives were in talks on a potential exit, with Washington being the player’s preferred destination. Young, 27, has a $49 million player option that he can exercise for next season. There was a time when Young seemed like he might become a store brand version of Stephen Curry. His ability to light up the scoreboard, particularly by raining down threes from well beyond the arc, made him one of the brightest young stars in the league. In 2021, he carried the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals, a run that memorably included him taunting the crowd at Madison Square Garden after hitting a game-winner against the Knicks in the first round. But that was the best season Atlanta would have during the Young era. The Hawks made the playoffs the next two years, only to bow out in the first round, and fell short of the postseason in each of the last two years. In some ways, the game has passed Young by. Successful teams in today’s NBA don’t have just one transcendent pure scorer. Winning hinges more on depth and complementary basketball. Playing against more well-rounded opponents also makes it difficult to hide poor defenders, and Young is a defensive liability. Last season, Hawks opponents averaged 4.6 more points per 100 possessions when Young was on the court than when he was on the bench. READ MORE FROM DAN 2025 SI Awards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accepts his 2025 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award. The best of Sports Illustrated Grace Hollars/Imagn ImagesJon Wertheim paints a picture of how Curt Cignetti found a way turn Indiana into a bona fide football school.The Peanut Punch changed defensive football, and the skill has evolved far beyond the technique Charles Tillman originally deployed. Greg Bishop traces the Peanut Punch’s origin story, how the strike has been refined and what the future of punchouts could look like.Chris Mannix examines what the Trae Young trade says about the Hawks’ future.Pat Forde shows how Lane Kiffin is the common thread tying together college football’s two biggest messes of the moment.In his latest mailbag, Albert Breer explores how John Harbaugh’s firing could give quarterback Lamar Jackson more leverage for a new deal.The Hurricanes are the lone College Football Playoff team left with a history of success, and they want to add another title on their home field this season, writes Bryan Fischer.  Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door.   Click to subscribe!  Brad Penner/Imagn ImagesThe top five …… things I saw last night: 5. Some slick hand-eye coordination by the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield. 4. Macklin Celebrini’s sweet moves to score a late game-tying goal for the Sharks. San Jose went on to beat the Kings in overtime. (Celebrini was named to Canada’s Olympic roster last week. He’ll be the first teenager to represent Canada at an Olympics featuring NHL players.)3. Kentucky guard Otega Oweh’s first-half buzzer beaterfrom the opposite free-throw line. 2. Immanuel Quickley’s game-winning buzzer beater for the Raptors. Just as good as Quickley’s shot was the call by the always excitable Hornets announcer Eric Collins. 1. The outrageous finish to the Magic-Nets game. First, Brooklyn’s Egor Dёmin banked home a three to give his team the lead. Then, Orlando’s Paolo Banchero hit a game-winner three at the buzzer—also off the glass.  Sign up for SI NewslettersStay ahead of the game—sign up for all of SI’s newsletters, from golf and soccer to MMQB, and never miss a moment.Get it in your inboxWe may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. 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